Thursday, April 21 2011
The superintendent of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation is stepping down.
At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Vince Bertram announced he will be leaving his post as head of the EVSC. He said, "It is very difficult. It has been the most excruciating decision I've ever made." The announcement came as a shock to many teachers and faculty at the EVSC. Keith Gambill, President of the Evansville Teacher's Association tells News 25, "We were surprised to find out that Dr. Bertram would be leaving." Gambill praised the relationship they've forge with Bertram over the years and they hope his replacement will be just as open. "We look forward to building a quality relationship with him as well," says Gambill. Dr. Bertram is leaving the EVSC to become the chief executive officer of Project Lead the Way, a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum program for middle and high schools. Bertram explained, "It is in all 50 states, serving 4,000 schools and over 400,000 students." He continued, "It's not about success, it's really about doing things that are significant." Bertram has served four years as superintendent and helped develop the district's Strategic Plan. We're told Bertram will remain as superintendent through the remainder of the school year before starting at PLTW early this summer. During Monday's press conference, an emotional Bertram thanked the community and his family's support. The EVSC Board of Trustees said it will begin formulating plan to hire a new superintendent. Source: http://www.news25.us/Global/story.asp?S=14482067 Thursday, April 21 2011
EVANSVILLE- It can be tough having a dependant family member who has special needs. Caregivers often get overwhelmed and need support. Jacob's Village has been providing adults with disabilities alternative living arrangements since October 2004. The organization is funded through private donations and fees from people living there. Currently, six people are calling Jacob's Village home. The facility has caregivers 24-hours a day, nature trails, a gazebo area, and a variety of activities. Jacob's Village offers services to families who are looking for alternative living options or a place for loved ones to go if a caretaker wants to get away for a weekend. The organization plans to expand in May by building more housing units. Starting in the fall, it will offer services to senior citizen who can't live on there own. Jacob's Village President Cheryl Kuchna says, "Initially we were focused on people with disabilities and we've learned about what needs there are in the community around us. It does appear that good, affordable, accessible housing options are in short supply, especially for seniors and people with disabilities, so we are kind of evolving our mission to provide additional housing choices right here in this neighborhood." Jacob's Village has its biggest fundraiser on May 13th. The Otters baseball team hosts a game and all proceeds go to the organization. Source: http://www.news25.us/Global/story.asp?S=14441957 Wednesday, April 20 2011
Apartment bargains once dominated the housing market, but those bargains have slowly faded away. As vacancies decrease and rents rise, renters are finding fewer deals.
Analysts expect vacancies to decrease even more and rents to continue to rise through 2013, as the economy continues to improve. Rental activity recorded its best start for the year since 1999, according to Reis Inc. Vacancy rates have fallen to mid-2008 levels and rents have increased for the past five quarters, now averaging $991 per month nationwide. Renters are finding the fewest deals along the coasts, such as New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and San Jose, Calif. These cities are experiencing low vacancy rates. Also, a boost in these cities’ economies is sending rents higher. New York City alone has seen double rent increases compared to the national average and has the lowest vacancy rate in the nation. The best rental deals can be found in Las Vegas, Tucson, Ariz., Phoenix, and several cities in Florida--all cities where unemployment and foreclosures remain high. According to Reis, Las Vegas was the only city to see rents fall last year. However, analysts say that bargains across the country are getting fewer, and renters should expect to see an increase in rents over the next three years. View the Top 6 Cities Where Buying Is Better Than Renting. Source: “Rental Market Swings Back in Favor of Landlords,” MSNBC.com (April 12, 2011) Tuesday, April 19 2011
SPENCER CO., IN - Holiday World & Splashin' Safari will get some national airtime this summer. The park will be featured on the Travel Channel reality show, "Bert the Conqueror." The show's host, Bert Kreischer, is described as an "everyman" who travels the country, conquering extreme rides, sports and unusual competitions. Bert will visit Holiday World & Splashin' Safari on May 6 and 7 to try and "conquer" The Voyage roller coaster and Wildebeest water coaster, each voted the world's top rides of their kind. Park President Dan Koch said his mother is also planning an extra challenge for Bert. "We hear that Bert hollers like a little girl on roller coasters," says park president Dan Koch. "I hope that means he'll drown out my screams." The show's producers said Holiday World was the most demanded venue for Bert to feature in his show's second season. You can join Bert as he tries to conquer the rides. Holiday World is conducting "open auditions" by video and email through April 20. In a one minute video or 175 word email, families are asked to explain why they should be picked to ride along with Bert. Contest rules can be found at http://HolidayWorld.com/HoliBlog. "Bert the Conqueror" airs Sunday evenings on the Travel Channel. The Holiday World episode is expected to air this summer. Source: http://www.news25.us/Global/story.asp?S=14421218 Monday, April 18 2011
Vacation homes are offering plenty of good deals at the moment. In many second-home hot spots, prices are still close to five-year lows. For example, single-home prices in second-home hotspot Napa, Calif., are down 47 percent from their peak in 2006, according to Fiserv. http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2011041105?OpenDocument Friday, April 15 2011
It's a sign of the season: outdoor home improvement scams. Police say as the temps warm up, the fraud cases pile up. False promises cost an Evansville woman thousands after she agreed to hand over checks to a local contractor. Door-to-door scams often begin with a stranger knocking at your front door, but not this time. Instead, Dorothy Elzer says it was a familiar face. "Seems like I had known him," said the 86-year-old woman. Elzer says she had seen the contractor around her neighborhood doing work for others. He pointed out a roofing problem. "Well, he said if I didn't get it fixed it would be leaking." She was sold and agreed to hire the apparent handyman to repair her roof. Elzer says she can't write as well as she used to, so she handed over several blank checks to pay for the supplies and labor. They negotiated a price, but it wasn't the $6,000 now missing out of her account. Elzer says was never given any receipts detailing the completed work or supplies purchased. Evansville Police officers are now working this as a theft and home improvement fraud case. "Some checks had been written for roofing that was never performed for the house," says Karen Kajmowicz, EPD Public Information Officer. She says investigators have a person of interest they're looking for, but aren't identifying any names just yet. Police reports list Thrifty Roofing & Construction as the listed company. "We're working on a few different leads so there's a possibility we'll be able to find out who this was," Kajmowicz says. NEWS 25 contacted Thrifty Roofing. The phone line appears to be disconnected. Police caution everyone to ask for references before agreeing to any door-to-door salesman work. Source: http://www.news25.us/Global/story.asp?S=14399751 Thursday, April 14 2011
NOTICE TO MY READERS:
My blog submissions are being copied and reproduced without my permission. This blog entry is just to see from which of my blog sites they are being copied.
My apologies for any inconvenience and I will make sure that this blog will be deleted momentarily.
Yours truly,
Rolando Trentini Thursday, April 14 2011
The Evansville Parks and Recreation Department is working to repair all the city pools so they open on time this year.
So far Lorraine pool has received the most repairs. Last summer there was a problem with the infrastructure and piping when the lining was put into place. Now, contractors have identified 14 leaks and are working to fix those. Once that is done, a new liner will be put in place, costing more than $37,000. In three weeks, the parks department will start prepping by draining, power washing, filling and chlorinating the pools. Garvin pool will take the most work to open, because it's the only city pool with a fiberglass liner. Agency Director Dan Schall says, "that is our goal every year to get the pools up and running. You don't know your major problems until you pressurize the system with water, by looking at a pool it might look great cosmetically, but once you pressurize it that's when your true issues start to arise." Hartke pool will open the weekend before Memorial Day and the rest of the pools will open the first Tuesday in June. Source: http://www.news25.us/Global/story.asp?S=14406706 Wednesday, April 13 2011
Market Watch
If you remember the Market Watch I sent in December, I made several specific predictions about how our local real estate market would perform the first several months of this year compared to last year. Those predictions have been accurate to-date but what is probably more telling is how we are doing compared to 2009. As I have mentioned before the homebuyer tax credits in the first half of last year distorted sales. There were no homebuyer tax credits in the first half of 2009. Closed sales in the first three months of 2011 were up 11.7% in units and up 18% in total sales dollars compared to the corresponding period in 2009. The local housing market has improved and will continue to get better.
The number of active listings on the market continues to stay at historically low levels. Housing affordability which is influenced primarily by the price of homes and interest rates is at historically high levels. If you are thinking about buying, waiting will inevitably mean you pay more for your home, either in terms of price, interest rates or both. If you are thinking about selling, it is better to get your house on the market now before inventory levels begin to rise.
If you are selling your home, it is important to understand that buyer behavior has changed significantly in the past few years. Now virtually all buyers look at homes online before physically visiting a house. In other words showings happen online. Today the number of times a home is viewed online is as, or more important than the number of physical showings and is a better barometer of buyer interest. Seller reporting at FCTuckeremge.com provides sellers a realistic picture of marketing activity. This tool allows you to know when and how often potential buyers are looking at your home online. Call me if you have additional questions about this valuable program.
Let me know if I can help you with any of your real estate needs and please enjoy the beautiful spring weather that has finally arrived. You can reach me at 812-499-9234 or Kathy at 812-499-0246. Wednesday, April 13 2011
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